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Struggling unsuccessfully to hold back tears, Utah Blaze lineman Steve Konopka admitted Friday night that he will never forget the sight of Tara Skaggs quietly talking to her 5-year-old son, Jake.

"Jake asked, 'Will Daddy ever play football again?' '' Konopka recalled. "She said, 'Yes, Daddy will play football again - in Heaven.' ''

Blaze receiver-linebacker Justin Skaggs died Friday at 1:45 p.m. at Salt Lake Regional Medical Center after emergency brain surgery. The 28-year-old Skaggs is survived by his wife, son, 3-year-old daughter Abbie and a stunned Utah Blaze family.

"Our prayers and thoughts are with Tara and the family," said team owner John Garff. "It's a very difficult time for a lot of reasons, but our primary focus is with the family. I've been impressed with how the players have come together, as a team and as a family."

Skaggs was diagnosed with brain cancer June 1 after being bothered by headaches and numbness in his arms and hands. Doctors discovered two inoperable tumors in the left lobe of his brain.

Skaggs had just started a series of radiation and chemotherapy treatments. On Wednesday night, however, his wife took him to the emergency room with another severe headache.

Thursday morning, Skaggs was taken into surgery to relieve pressure on his brain. As his family began gathering in Salt Lake City, he remained on a respirator until he died.

"I never heard anybody say anything bad about him, ever," said Danny White, the Blaze's general manager and head coach. "All of his teammates loved him. Everybody rallied around him. I think the greatest tribute to Justin was that every player - even the guys who were brand new on the team and hadn't been around him very much - every one of them showed up at the hospital."

On the field, Skaggs was known for his work ethic and effort.

"He played football the way everybody should play it," White said. "If we had 20 guys who played every week the way Justin Skaggs played, we'd never lose a game."

One week ago, Blaze assistant coach Ron James was standing next to Skaggs after San Jose scored an easy 70-49 victory over Utah at EnergySolutions Arena.

"Justin was kind of ticked off because of our effort," James said. "I told him, 'Justin, relax. You've got bigger fish to fry.' Well, he didn't like that. He kind of snapped around and said, 'Coach, this means a lot to me.' And it did. Football was a big part of his life."

But not his whole life.

"You could tell that by just looking at his locker," James said. "There were pictures of him and his wife . . . of him and his kids . . . of him with his wife and kids. There wasn't one picture of him by himself. He was always with his family. Just a down-to-earth guy. What you saw was what you got. No pretenses. He was the kind of man you'd want as a son."

Skaggs attended Evangel University from 1997 to 2000 in his hometown of Springfield, Mo.

He played briefly in the NFL with Washington and was cut in training camp by San Francisco and Tampa Bay.

"He's the type of guy you wouldn't hesitate letting your daughter marry," said Evangel football coach Scott Metcalf.

In 2005, Skaggs played with the Orlando Predators of the AFL before signing with Utah before the Blaze's inaugural season.

"He was just a great guy who loved his kids and loved his wife," said Brett Bouchy, the Predators' team president. "He was one of our favorite players around here. He was just a really, really good guy."

Prior to Orlando's game against Georgia on Friday night, the Predators honored Skaggs with a moment of silence.

"We're doing everything we can from Orlando to help support his family," Bouchy said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family."

A public memorial service will be 10 a.m. Monday at EnergySolutions Arena.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Justin Skaggs memorial account at any Zions Bank. Checks can also be mailed to Zions Bank, One South Main Street, Suite 100, Salt Lake City, UT 84117.